Upcycling hub launched in Birmingham charity shop
Barnardo's 'Re-Fashion' Hub repurposes damaged clothes to sell on
An initiative to upcycle and sell damaged clothes that are donated to charity has been launched in Birmingham.
The Re-Fashion Hub, set up by the children's charity Barnardo's, sees volunteers repairing and transforming old clothes using donated sewing machines.
The clothes and other items are then sold in the Barnardo's shop in Sutton Coldfield.
Sonja Green's from the charity and told us more about how the initiative works.
"The volunteers take clothing we can't sell in our shops and they're turning them into items we can sell to raise money for Barnardo's and the work we do with children and young people."
Sonja said sustainability is at the heart of the initiative.
"At the moment there are some huge challenges around fast fashion and waste.
"This puts a stop to that and it means we can take those items that would have ended up in landfill, and turn them into something new that we can sell and can be reused."
She said the volunteers come from a range of sewing backgrounds - including those who haven't used a sewing machine before - and encouraged people of all abilities to get involved.
"You won't know until you try," she said.
The first Re-Fashion Hub by Barnardo's was opened in Bradford in June last year.
Sonja said she hopes many more hubs will spring up in Barnardo's shops across the country soon.